Mansour calls on Arab League to implement counter-terrorism treaty at summit

Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour called on Arab ministers Tuesday to discuss the implementation of an Arab counter-terrorism treaty before the end of June, according to Agence France Presse.

"Within the framework of implementing the Arab counter-terrorism treaty, we call for the Arab interior and justice ministers to hold a joint meeting before the end of June. We call on all Arab countries to stand united in confronting terrorism," Mansour told the Arab summit in Kuwait.

During his commentary, Mansour did not explicitly mention the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, have designated as a terrorist organization within recent months.

He also emphasized that League members "extradite and not give shelter to 'terrorists' wanted by fellow member states."

Egypt has been at the forefront of efforts to invoke the 1998 treaty that was ratified by 18 out of the 22 Arab League member states in its attempt to pressure Qatar to stop providing a safe haven for exiled Brotherhood leaders.

Tensions have been rising with Qatar due to Doha's support of the ousted Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt, which has subsequently affected its relationship with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE as well. The latter three states withdrew their diplomate from Doha earlier this month in protest of Qatar's Brotherhood ties.

 

Using the summit to refoster ties between Doha and the other Gulf states, however, has largely been off the table, with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy describing the rift as a "wound [that is] too deep [to heal at the summit]."